Peelable label

ABSTRACT

In-mold plastic labels are provided with separation interfaces whereby the printed surfaces of the labels and the contaminating printing inks associated with them can be removed so as to allow recycling of the bottle stock without contamination by the printing inks.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to in-mold labelling, using die-cut in-moldlabels of the kind adapted to label blow-molded plastic bottles or othercontainers. Labelling methods and articles of this kind are referred toas "in-mold" because the labels are held in place within the moldwherein the container is shaped during the container-forming step.

The invention particularly applies to in-mold labelling using polymericlabels, rather than using natural cellulose paper labels. Polymericlabels offer many aesthetic and functional advantages over paper labelsin the labelling of containers or other articles made by blow-moldingplastic resins, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE). When a plasticcontainer such as a HDPE squeeze bottle is used to package a productsuch as a hair shampoo, a package using a polymeric label is generallymore appealing to consumers than a package using a paper label thatwon't last in the shower and that does not have as attractive anappearance. In many applications, the use of polymeric labels isrequired for reasons of appearance, handling, performance,moisture-resistance, conformability, durability and compatibility withthe container to be labelled. For example, a low-moduilus plastic labelis generally required for a squeeze bottle so that the label can flexwith the bottle without wrinkling or tearing. Polymeric labels also makepossible the manufacture of clear or substantially transparent labelshaving a "no-label look" with only the indicia on the label beingreadily visible to the consumer.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

It is recognized that natural paper labels are incompatible in therecycling of molded plastic items. In many applications, in-moldlabelling of natural or light colored plastic containers using polymericlabels also presents a recycling problem, both in respect to immediateuse of scrap bottles created during production (particularly duringstart-up) and in respect to post consumer recycling. During production,labels may be applied out of register with the bottles being formed,particularly during start-up of the production line when idealbottle-forming temperatures and other conditions may not yet beestablished and stabilized. The scrap bottles caused by process controldrift or "start-up bottles" thereby formed cannot be immediatelyrecycled by grinding or shredding them and re-including them in theresin supply for the blow-molding operation. To do so would contaminatethe melt with the printing inks with which the polymeric labels aredecorated. Instead, the mislabelled bottles or scrap bottles must bediscarded, which wastes resin and is a burden on landfill, or the labelswith their contaminating inks must be removed from the start-up bottlesbefore the bottles are reground for recycling of the resin. Removal ofthe contaminating inks often requires cutting out the entire labelledportion of each bottle, since it is usually insufficient to attempt tomerely scrape and peel away the label or the face of the label to asufficient degree to remove the contaminating ink. In any case, suchservices are labor-intensive and may require contracting out toemployers of low-cost labor, with attendant costs of handling,transport, and storage under very low density packing.

In respect to recycling following consumer use and return of bottles, asimilar problem is presented. Consumers, or recycling facilities, haveno ready way to remove the contaminating inks, short of the inconvenientand labor-intensive steps previously mentioned. Recycling with printedplastic labels intact is restricted to dark colors or multilayercontainers with the regrind buried in a central layer. This results in athick container wall. Recycling of clear or thin-walled light colorcontainers is thereby inhibited, and consumers sensitive to recyclingcapability are discouraged from using products sold in the bottles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes these problems. In-mold labelling iscarried out in such a way as to provide a controlled separationinterface within each label between plies that make up the label. Thisseparation interface allows the printed face of the label to be readilyseparated from the remainder of the label and from the molded bottle.When scrap bottles are formed during start-up (the "start-up bottles"previously referred to), or if an occasional scrap bottle is formedlater in production, the printed faces of the labels can be immediatelystripped and the scrap bottles immediately fed into a hopper forgrinding and re-inclusion in the resin supply without causing colorcontamination. Consumers can also readily remove the printed faces ofthe labels before returning the bottles, or they can be readily removedat recycling facilities.

A concept of the present invention is the provision of in-mold labelstock of layered film material containing a separation interface. Thefilm material comprises two polymeric film plies each comprising one ormore film layers. The two film plies are in contact with each other andpresent to each other surfaces of different composition at a pair ofcontacting interior faces joined at the separation interface. One of thefilm plies comprises printable in-mold label facestock. The other filmply comprises a label core and an adhesive, preferably aheat-activatable adhesive. The film plies have controlled affinity foreach other at the separation interface and adhere to each other to asufficiently high degree to withstand the maximum separation forceimposed on the stock at the separation interface as labels are printed,cut from the stock, and deployed for affixation on blown parisons in ablowing mold or on other substrates. However, the film plies adhere toeach other to a sufficiently low degree to allow them to cleanly andreadily separate from each other at the separation interface under theimposition of stripping or separation forces greater than the maximumseparation forces to which they have been subjected during printing,die-cutting and deployment, although the latter forces have beengenerally regarded by the art as severe, see for example the discussionof stresses on in-mold label stock material in U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,697to Dornbusch et al. In other words, the separation forces imposed bystripping are greater than the maximum separation forces imposed byprinting, die-cutting and deployment, and the differences between thetwo levels of separation forces can be sufficient to provide reliableprinting, die-cutting, positioning and affixing of labels on the onehand, and reliable stripping of the outermost film ply of the label onthe other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood from the following moredetailed description and the accompanying drawings, which are highlyschematic or diagrammatic and in which

FIG. 1 illustrates a coextruded in-mold label film contemplated by theinvention;

FIG. 1A illustrates another in-mold label film contemplated by theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a representation of a printing, drying, sheeting and stackingline used in the method of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an isometric sketch illustrating stacks of individual labelsdie-cut from the stack of label stock seen in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of the stacked individual labels in a moldingoperation, including a top view in schematic cross-section of the moldin open position during insertion of a label;

FIG. 5 is a side view in schematic cross-section of the same mold inclosed position, but shown empty for simplicity of illustration;

FIG. 6 is a top view in schematic cross-section of an in-mold labelledbottle formed by the mold 44; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the face of the labelbeginning to be peeled from the remainder of the label in a mannercontemplated by the invention.

FIG. 8 is a similar view illustrating in an artificially regularizedmanner another aspect of the invention in which a similar labelledcontainer is ground into particles for classification.

FIG. 8A shows a portion of FIG. 8 on an enlarged scale. The thicknessesof the films, labels and bottles seen in the figures are greatlyexaggerated for clarity of illustration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The composite or layered label film material 10 shown in FIG. 1 is acoextrusion including the layers 12, 14, 16 and 18. Layer 12 is aprintable facestock layer and layer 14 is one of the layers defining aseparation interface S, to be described below. The layers 12 and 14together comprise a multilayer first or peelable film face ply 15. Thelayer 16 is a core or stiffening layer which contributes to thestiffness of labels cut from the composite label film. Adequatestiffness is necessary to proper printing, sheeting, die-cutting, andundistorted deployment (transfer and insertion) of the label into themold, as more fully discussed in pending application of common assigneeU.S. Ser. No. 07/756,556, filed Sep. 9, 1991, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference as if fully repeated herein. The layer 18comprises a heat-activatable adhesive. The layers 16 and 18 togethermake up a multilayer second or non-peelable film ply 19. The plies 15and 19 may also be referred to respectively as face ply and core ply.The coextruded label stock is preferably extruded, hot-stretched andannealed in the manner described in said U.S. Ser. No. 07/756,556,subject however to the significant difference that a distinct controlledseparation interface is formed between coextruded plies. That is, thecoextrusion is carried out with such materials and in such a manner asto define the separation interface S between layers 14 and 16. Thisseparation interface is similar in character to the "peelable interface17" of Freedman U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,714 to common assignee, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference as if fully repeatedherein. The intimately contacting layers 14 and 16 are of differentcomposition, and the contacting surfaces of layers 14 and 16, that is tosay, the pair of contacting interior faces of the first and second filmplies 15 and 19, present to each other surfaces of different compositionwith a controlled degree of incompatibility at a pair of contactinginterior faces joined at the separation interface S.

Consistently with the teaching of the foregoing copending application, apreferable total thickness of the hot coextrudate is about 20 mils,making a total thickness of about 4 mils following hot stretching at afive to one stretch ratio. Obviously, the thicknesses of the hotcoextrudate, the degree of stretch, and the thicknesses in the stretchedfilm may all be varied. In a presently preferred construction, theapproximate thicknesses of layers 12, 14, 16 and 18 following stretchingare respectively 0.5, 1, 2, and 0.5 mils, while the compositions of thelayers by weight percentages are:

    ______________________________________                                        Layer 12    polypropylene homopolymer                                                                       50                                                          ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer                                                                50                                              Layer 14    polypropylene homopolymer                                                                       100                                             Layer 16    polyethylene blend (see below)                                                                  100                                             Layer 18    heat-activatable adhesive                                                                       25                                                          polypropylene homopolymer                                                                       25                                                          ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer                                                                45                                                          antistat           5                                              ______________________________________                                    

The polyethylene blend referred to in the foregoing composition is ablend of low and higher density polyethylenes, the exact proportion ofwhich depends on the best trade-off between factors such as flexibility,release, layer thicknesses and production speed for a particularapplication. Generally, a higher proportion of low density polyethylenefavors easier release at the separation interface, and a higherproportion of higher density polyethylenes favors stiffness and enablesthinner stock to be successfully die-cut and deployed and/or productionspeeds to increase. Preferred proportions of polyethylenes of differentdensities have not been determined as of the date of this application.However, as reflected in the formulation above, indications are that lowdensity polyethylene is to be included and that higher densitypolyethylene (medium and/or high density) is to be blended therewith.The preferred proportion or proportions will be determined by routinetesting. Nucleation by addition of fine particulate to the layer 16 maybe used to enhance the degree of polymer crystallinity and increase thestiffness of the layer. In this manner, overall label thickness may bereduced and/or a label may be provided having first and second filmplies of similar thicknesses, or even a relatively thinner ply 19, withthe ply 19 being relatively stiffer.

The heat-activatable adhesive is a proprietary product sold by H. B.Fuller of Blue Ash, Ohio under product number HM727, and comprises ablend of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer ("EVA"), polyethylene waxesand a tackifier effective to accomplish adhesion to HDPE. The adhesiveby itself would be far too "watery" or low in viscosity to besuccessfully extruded, but it melt blends well with the EVA. The EVAstiffens up the extrudate, but is too sticky to process followingextrusion, because it tends to stick to processing rolls with which itcomes into contact while it is warm so as to damage the adhesive layeror laminate. The addition of polypropylene provides a skeletal backbonestructure to give the extrudate excellent heat stability forhot-stretching and other processing.

The antistat is incorporated in the adhesive-containing charge (thecharge for layer 18) and uniformly blended therewith. The amount ofantistat used may be varied for particular formulations and processingconditions, the 5% amount used herein being typical. The antistat isefficiently used, since it may be added to the adhesive charge only.Thus, addition of antistat only to the adhesive-containing chargeprovides specificity and efficiency of use without the disadvantages ofa topically applied antistat. In certain applications, it may beadvantageous to also include the antistat in the central layer charge aswell as the base layer charge, or in the central layer charge only.

In the particular adhesive layer composition described, the antistatused is sold by Hoechst Celanese under product number E1956 and is ofthe type that when added in bulk blooms to the surface and dissipateselectrostatic charges by hydrophilic action which attracts extremelyminute amounts of ambient moisture. Collection of moisture at the facelayer, which may interfere with the label printing process, is avoidedby adding the antistat to the adhesive layer only. Moisture collected atthe adhesive layer surface does not interfere with adhesion of the labelto the container in the in-mold labelling process. It is believed thatthe moisture is vaporized or dissipated by the elevated molding servicetemperatures, but in such small quantities as to not interfere withadhesion.

In the above-described construction, the layer 12 functions essentiallyto render the label stock printable. In some instances, an acceptablealternative may be to omit the layer 12, as in the construction of FIG.1A. In this construction, the layer 14a is directly exposed as theprint-receiving surface which is rendered printable by corona treatmentor the like in a known manner prior to the actual printing step. In sucha construction, the first or peelable film ply may be the monolayer faceply 15a consisting of the single layer 14a, and the composition of thelayers 14a, 16a and 18a may be as described above for the layers 14, 16and 18, but thicknesses may be 0.5, 2.5, and 0.5 for layers 14a, 16a and18a respectively. The layers 16a and 18a together make up the multilayersecond or non-peelable film ply 19a.

As described above, the presently preferred compositions of the layersof the face and core plies which define the separation interfacecomprise different polyolefins in amounts sufficient to yield thedesired separation characteristics, the most preferred polyolefinspresently being polyethylene and polypropylene homopolymers. These maybe reversed from the order described above, for example with layer 14comprising a polyethylene blend and layer 16 polypropylene homopolymer,but this is less preferable when labelling polyethylene bottles. It isnotable that even with such reversal, suitable performance of theoverall label construction, and particularly suitable compatibility withthe ink-receptive layer and the adhesive layer, is achieved. Thepresently preferred composition of the printable facestock layer and theadhesive layer comprise blends of olefin polymers and copolymers ofolefin monomers with ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid orethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester comonomers such as theethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. Thus, the multilayer face and coreplies each include a layer of olefin polymers and a layer comprising ablend of olefin polymers and copolymers of olefin monomers withethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or ethylenically unsaturatedcarboxylic acid ester comonomers such as the ethylene-vinyl acetatecopolymer.

As schematically illustrated in FIG. 2, the coextruded, hot-stretchedstock, which may be supplied in the form of the self-wound roll 24, maybe printed or decorated in a printing press 26, and dried by heat, UVradiation, or the like. The printing or decoration may be covered with aprotective lacquer if desired.

Following printing and drying, the stock may be sheeted and stacked in amanner similar to that known for the sheeting of paper-backed labelstock. The cutting station is indicated by arrow C in FIG. 2. Thesevered rectangular sheets are collected to form the stack 30. The stackmay contain 100, 200 or more sheets. For clarity of illustration, in thedrawing the thickness of the sheets is greatly exaggerated and the stack30 is therefore shown as being made up of only a relatively small numberof sheets. Each sheet in the stack is intended to provide material forseveral individual labels to be die-cut from the sheeted material.

Individual labels are formed in a known manner by hollow punches orcutting dies (not shown) which punch out stacks 32 of individual labelsfrom the stack 30 of label stock. For example, the array of nine stacks32 of individual labels seen in FIG. 3 may be simultaneously punched outof the rectangular stack 30. Alternatively, the labels may be die cut byrotary or reciprocating means from a web without sheeting and thengathered into stacks. In either case, a matrix (not shown) of wastematerial is left behind. The stacks 32 of individual labels arestabilized by suitable wrapping or packaging (not shown) in a mannersimilar to that previously used with paper-backed labels. The stabilizedstacks 32 are then moved or transported to the site where theblow-molded bottles are being manufactured, which often is a differentplace than the site of label manufacture.

At the site of bottle manufacture, stacks 32 of individual labels areloaded in a dispensing magazine of a known type, schematicallyillustrated by magazine 34 in FIG. 4. For example, the labels may beadvanced to the front of the magazine by spring means 36, and may belightly retained for pick-off by springy or mechanically retractingretainer fingers or detents 38. A robotic label feed head 40 carriesvacuum cups 42 adapted to be advanced by means (not shown) internal tothe head 40 to pick off the front label presented by the magazine 34,retracted for translating movement of the head and the single picked-offlabel 32a into the opened blow mold 44 by actuation of the translatingcylinder 41, and advanced again to apply the picked-off label 32a to theproper location on the interior surface of the mold and release it. Thelabel may then be held accurately in position within the mold by vacuumapplied to the mold wall through manifolded vacuum line 46 while thelabel feed head 40 is retracted. The vacuum line outlets to the interiorof the mold may be flush with the interior surface of the mold, asshown, so that the label occupies part of the mold cavity proper. Inother words, preferably there is no recess on the interior surface ofthe mold to accommodate the thickness of the label, or any portion ofthe label thickness.

A hot workpiece or parison (not shown in FIGS. 4 or 5) of HDPE orsimilar thermoplastic resin, the material for which has been supplied inknown manner from a reservoir (not shown) of molten resin, is fed intothe mold, the mold is closed, and the parison is expanded in a knownmanner to complete the formation of the molded container. As the hotparison contacts the adhesive-containing layer 18 of the label,activation of the adhesive is triggered. If as described above theentire thickness of the label is on, not in, the interior surface of themold, the label becomes embedded in the workpiece to which it isadhered, thus providing a fully inset label that is flush with thecontainer surface and that replaces and therefore saves a portion of thecharge for the bottle without diminishing the structural integrity ofthe bottle to any detected significant degree.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section of a formed bottle B which has beenin-mold labelled as just described. A label L has been inlaid in thewall of the bottle. The label has first and second film plies 15 and 19which are firmly joined at the separation interface S. The interplyadhesion between first and second film plies 15 and 19 is sufficientlyhigh to withstand the maximum process separation force imposed on thestock at the separation interface S during sheeting, die-cutting,feeding and in-mold application of the labels to bottles as the latterare formed. However, these film plies adhere to each other to asufficiently low degree to allow them to cleanly and readily separatefrom each other at the interface S under the imposition of a separationforce greater than the aforesaid maximum process separation forceencountered in label processing.

As pointed out in previously cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,714, theinterface peel strength at an interface such as the separation interfaceS is a function of several parameters, including among others, theidentities of the two dissimilar polymeric layers, the presence andtypes of additives in one or both of the coextruded layers defining theinterface, the presence or absence of pigments in one or both layers,the pressure exerted by, and the temperature of, the nip rollers, andthermal aging of the layers. While several factors can play a role inproviding a desired peel strength, that desired peel strength can beachieved through routine trial and error adjustments. Strengths whichpresently are believed most desireable are specified below.

Separation can be achieved by unitary peeling on the one hand, or bygrinding, shredding or chopping. In both cases the object is to separatecontaminated resin from other resins, not to separate different resinmaterials. By unitary peeling is meant the kind of peeling that may beaccomplished manually by literally peeling back the peelable film ply15, as seen in FIG. 7. Even though the label is inset into the bottle,the peeling action can be started by prying the edge of the label orpushing a blunt knife or similar tool in the inboard direction over thelabel edge with a smearing action while bearing down on the label. Afterthe peeling is started, the ply 15 is grasped and manually pulled. Thepeeling action proceeds continuously and progressively over theinterface between the peelable film ply or face ply 15 and the remainingnon-peelable film ply or core ply 19. The multilayer film plies 15 and19 on each side of the interface remain integral films during thepeeling.

Separation of peelable face plies from bottles in this manner fullyaccomplishes the desired separation of printing inks from the bulk ofthe bottle stock for recycling purposes, leaving the bottle stockuncontaminated by the inks. Separation by unitary peeling will generallybe relied on when consumers are expected to do the peeling whenreturning or delivering used containers for recycling. This process maybe automated in commercial or industrial recycling operations bysuitable means such as mechanically replicating the manual removaldescribed above, or using powered axially-rotating cylindrical arrays ofstiffly flexing rubber pusher fingers or the like (not shown) which arebrought to bear on the label surface in an action similar to that ofwell-known "chicken picker" apparatus for defeathering fowl.

Separation by grinding, shredding or chopping involves both separationat the peeling interface during grinding itself, and subsequent particleclassification. The classification step separates particles resultingfrom the grinding into two classes: (1) particles containing contaminant(ink) and (2) particles free of contaminant. The object is to isolatecontaminated resin from the bulk of the resinous material, not toseparate resins of different kinds. A grinding operation is representedfor clarity in a highly schematic and artificially regularized fashionin FIGS. 8 and 8A which show a labelled bottle B being passed through agrinder 50. Grinding subjects the film material to high mechanicalstresses, so that the separation interface S experiences separationforces sufficient to cause the particles being formed by the grinding tosplit at this interface. The result is two classes of particles, as seenon opposite sides of the dividing line D--D in FIG. 8A. One class ofparticles (to the right of dividing line D--D) consists entirely of thebottle material, or consists entirely of the material of core ply 19, orconsists partly of both. The other class of particles consists entirelyof the material of face ply 15. These classes of particles are thenseparated using any well-known particle classification technique, suchas centrifuging or flotation, which exploits a difference in density orspecific gravity between the classes of particles in order to completeseparation.

In some circumstances, it may be most efficient or economical to recycleby only partially grinding the bottles in the label area. Thus, thelabelled side of the bottle may be engaged with grinding means to theextent necessary to wholly or partially remove the label while leavingthe remainder of the bottle whole for remelting. Such removal could befollowed by particle classification if the amount of removed materialother than from the contaminated face ply made it worthwhile. In somecases, very precise adjustment of grinding conditions may even allow thepeelable film ply alone to be removed by shredding or grinding of suchply alone to an extent sufficient to cause separation at the separationinterface. There would then be no need or purpose for a subsequentreclassification step. Such a process might be an alternative forunitary peeling by hand or by automated means, and might in somecircumstances be more efficient than unitary peeling while, as inunitary peeling, avoiding the need for particle classification.

When grinding is to be used followed by particle classification based ondensity, materials for the bottle stock and for the non-peelable filmply or core ply on the one hand, and for the peelable film ply or faceply on the other hand, must be sufficiently different to allowsuccessful classification. The specific gravity of polyester bottles incommon use is generally relatively high, say about 1.25, and that ofvinyl bottles is about 1.3 or 1.4., so generally materials chosen forthe peelable film ply or face ply will be lower density materials, suchas unfilled polyethylene or polypropylene of say about 0.9 specificgravity. Materials for the non-peelable film ply or core ply may begiven higher densities, say up to about 1.2 to 1.4, by use of filler,provided the filler is not such as to unacceptably degrade the materialmix that is recycled for container manufacture. In general, use offiller in the non-peelable film ply or core ply may be matched to filleruse in the bottle material for desired results. For low densitypolyethylene and polypropylene containers, the peelable film ply or faceply may employ fillers and pigments to increase density for centrifugalseparation after grinding.

In many circumstances, the constraints as to relative specific gravitiesmay be looser than indicated above, due to the fact that the labelmaterial in its entirety constitutes only a minor part of the totalbottle construction. Therefore, if some of the core ply is separatedalong with the face ply, the loss to recycling may be minor andacceptable. The major consideration is the accomplishment of completeremoval of the material of the face ply, containing the contaminatinginks. If that is accomplished, removal of some additional material maybe inconsequential. Thus, for example, when subjected to centrifuging orflotation, if the core ply has a specific gravity as low as that of theface ply, ground particles consisting entirely of the core ply willseparate along with the face ply, and particles consisting of both thebottle stock and the core ply will also tend to separate along with theface ply. Such tendency will be greatest for those individual particlesof the latter type where the material of the relatively light core plymakes up most of the particle. Individual particles where the oppositeis true will tend to remain with the bottle stock. This loosening ofconstraints as to required density relations provides more options thanwould otherwise be the case as to use or non-use of fillers, or as tothe degree of filler use, when matching the core plies to the bottlematerial as mentioned above.

Whether separation is accomplished by unitary peeling or by grinding,the non-peelable core ply 19 remains with the bottle stock, but is ofsuch a nature that contamination of the bottle stock does not occur, oris minimized to such an extent that the stock is acceptable forremelting and reuse, either in the same application as in its virginuse, or in other applications which are less demanding as to stockspecifications. In particular, in many applications, the non-peelablecore ply 19 is sufficiently compatible with reuse of the bottle stockthat if a defect such as incorrect label orientation occurs duringbottle manufacture (particularly a risk during startup), the peelableface ply can be removed by direct peeling, or by regrinding combinedwith centrifuging or flotation, and the bottle material, including thematerial of the core ply 19, can be directly cycled back to thebottle-maker's own resin inventory for the blow-molding line, and can beimmediately remelted for reuse on the bottle line.

When separation is to be accomplished by unitary peeling, peel strengthsin the range of about 30-200 grams per two-inch width at 90 degrees peelhave been found effective. Peel strengths in the range of about 50-150are preferred, and most desireable are interfacial peel strengths in therange of about 55-75. Desired values for peel strengths when separationis to be by grinding followed by centrifuging or flotation have not beenconfirmed but are believed to approximate those given above for unitarypeeling.

In some applications, during bottle manufacture when the face ply of amisaligned label has been peeled off and the bottle proper is notdefective, it may be acceptable to reapply a fresh label over thestructure that remains after removal of the face ply, even though suchnew label will not be completely "inlaid" in the labelled face of thebottle. Such a defectively labelled bottle would not be remelted, butcould simply receive a new label in an off-line post-molding operation.Application of the new label might be accomplished by known out-of-moldapplicator devices such as a hot-stamping machine or a "Therimage" typeapplicator or "decorator." Subsequently, such a bottle could be recycledlike any other, since the peelable film ply of the new label could beremoved in the same manner as other labels, whether by unitary peelingor by grinding and subsequent particle classification.

Whenever consistent with the present description of invention, inconnection with the various stages of label stock manufacture andlabelling referred to herein, it is presently believed generallydesireable to also observe the practices and criteria disclosed inforegoing pending U.S. Ser. No. 07/756,556, the disclosure of which hasbeen incorporated herein by reference.

As used in the foregoing description of the invention and in thefollowing claims, "bottles" refers to all forms of blow-moldedcontainers, and generally to all similar blown products suitable forlabelling. The terms "grinding," "shredding," and "chopping" are usedinterchangeably.

It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and thatvarious changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating detailswithout departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in thisdisclosure. As an example of the many possible variations in thepractice of the invention, die-cutting of labels may be done directly byrotary or reciprocating means and such labels may then be gathered intoindividual stacks of labels, thus substituting a gathering step for thestep of forming the stack 30. Alternatively, die cutting of labels maybe done in-line with the molding operation or other workpiece formingoperation, with the labels then being picked off one by one by the labelinserting mechanism. Or, rolls of labels might be delivered into a slotin the mold half and die-cut by the action of the mold closing.

Indeed, while the invention has been described in connection within-mold labelling and presently appears to be particularly advantageousfor that application, the same concepts also have utility for providinggraphics or decoration for polymeric substrates thermally formed as bythermoforming, injection molding, reaction injection molding, rotationalmolding, and forming of sheet molding compound. Die-cut labels of thepresent invention can also be applied by hot stamping or ironing or rollapplication, either those provided with continuous carrier or thosewhose backing is die-cut to the same shape. If pressure-sensitiveadhesive is applied or transfer-coated onto the multiply extrudate afterprinting to form an adhesive layer in place of the layer 18, applicationcan be by pressure alone. Application of labels might be accomplished byknown out-of-mold applicator devices such as a hot-stamping machine or a"Therimage" type applicator or "decorator."

The invention therefore should not be limited to particular details ofthis disclosure except to the extent that the following claims arenecessarily so limited.

What is claimed is:
 1. Combined labelling and recycling or reclaimingmethod including the steps of: forming layered film material containingwithin itself a separation interface and comprising a hot-stretchedcoextrudate of two polymeric film plies each formed in the absence ofbiaxial stretching and each comprising one or more film layers, saidfilm plies being separably adhered to each other at said separationinterface and one of them comprising printable in-mold label facestockincluding a printable face layer, said one of said film plies beingfurther characterized by the absence of any ply-included layer ofpressure-sensitive adhesive supporting said printable face layer, theother of said two film plies comprising a heat-activatable adhesivelayer that is a contaminant-free recyclable material, printing thefacestock with an ink or inks to decorate the same, die-cutting the filmmaterial to form individual labels, sequentially deploying the labelsfor heat activation of the adhesive and bonding onto successivesubstrates said printing, die-cutting, deploying, and bonding beingcarried out in the absence of forces at said separation interfacesufficient to cause separation, and subsequent to said bonding of saidlabels to said substrate, imposing separation forces at said interfaceof said layered film material sufficient to cause inter-ply separationwhereby said printed facestock is separated for recycling of saidsubstrate stock uncontaminated by said ink or inks.
 2. A method as inclaim 1, said step of imposing separation forces including the step ofpeeling said interface apart with a peeling action which proceedscontinuously and progressively over said interface.
 3. A method as inclaim 1, said step of imposing separation forces including the step ofshredding at least some of said layered film material on at least oneside of said interface.
 4. A method as in claim 1, said step of imposingseparation forces including the step of shredding at least some of saidlayered film material on each side of said interface.
 5. A method as inclaim 4, including the step of classifying by differences in specificgravity and separating the shredded material from one side of saidinterface from the shredded material from the other said of saidinterface.
 6. A method as in claim 5, said classifying and separatingstep including a flotation step.
 7. A method as in claim 5, saidclassifying and separating step including a centrifuging step.
 8. Anin-mold labelling and recycling method as in claim 1, and furtherincluding, subsequent to said bonding of said labels to said substrates,selecting substrates which are not properly formed or whose labels aremisformed or misregistered, and imposing separation forces at saidinterface of said layered film material of said selected substrates,said forces being sufficient to cause separation whereby said printedfacestock is separated, and recycling said selected substratesuncontaminated by said ink or inks to thereby contribute to thereplenishment of the supply of substrate stock while eliminating waste.9. A method as in claim 8, said recycling of said selected substratesbeing directly to the supply of substrate extrudate at the input end ofa substrate-forming line.
 10. A labelling and recycling method includingthe method of claim 1, and further including, subsequent to said bondingof said labels to said substrates, selecting substrates whose labels aremisformed or misregistered, and imposing separation forces at saidinterface of said layered film material of said selected substrates,said forces being sufficient to cause separation whereby said printedfacestock is separated from said selected substrates, and applyingundamaged labels to said substrates to thereby include said selectedsubstrates in the product of the substrate labelling operation.
 11. Acombined manufacturing and recycling or reclaiming method for labellingplastic substrates by bonding plastic labels thereto and then recyclingthe substrate stock without contamination by label inks, comprising thesteps of providing multiple charges of film-forming resin, coextrudingand hot-stretching said charges to thereby form a construction in theform of a multilayer coextrudate consisting of two plies each comprisingone or more film layers without biaxial stretching of either ply,preselecting the charges and layers for the coextrusion step to providetwo adjacent layers of different compositions each identified with itsown one of said two plies and both together capable of (1) adhering toeach other during label manufacture and application steps which includefacial printing, die-cutting and affixation with heat of labels formedfrom said coextrudate to substrates, and (2) separating from each otherwhen subjected to separation forces greater than those experiencedduring, said label manufacture and bonding steps, and further selectingthe charges and layers for the coextrusion step to provide within one ofsaid filni plies printable label facestock including a printable facelayer in the absence of any ply-included layer of pressure-sensitiveadhesive supporting said printable face layer, the other of said twofilm plies comprising a heat-activatable adhesive layer that is acontaminant-free material, providing substrates to be labelled andperforming said label manufacture and bonding steps using saidmultilayer coextrudate whereby said labels are made and bonded to saidsubstrates, and subsequent to said bonding, imposing said greaterseparation forces to separate the printed faces of said labels from theremaining portions of said labels and from said labelled substrates tothereby provide substrate stock uncontaminated by label inks, andremelting said uncontaminated substrate stock and forming new substratestherefrom.
 12. The method of claim 11 in which the charges for said twoadjacent layers are respectively polyethylene homopolymer andpolypropylene homopolymer.
 13. The method of claim 11 in which saidcoextruding step includes coextruding at least two layers to form one ofsaid two plies, the charge for one of said two layers comprising olefinpolymer and the charge for the other of said two layers comprising ablend of olefin polymers and copolymers of olefin monomers withethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or ethylenically unsaturatedcarboxylic acid ester comonomers such as the ethylene-vinyl acetatecopolymer.